Flowers
Sinnoh Route 224 was a place where trainers who had failed the tests of the Elite Four could train. It was an isolated spot with many strong pokémon so it was perfect for training. A casual observer at the right time may see up to twenty trainers battling with wild pokémon, battling with trainers or even just gathering supplies for the challenging path known as Victory Road. But during what was known as “off season” for the League the path was as quiet as a grave.
But this is not to say that this place still wasn’t of interest to people. A select few would come here to search for a very rare pokémon. It was said that this pokémon lived amongst the flowers on a secret area of the Route, which could only be accessed by inscribing a special message on the rock. Many had tried to find this secret place, but none prevailed. Despite the setbacks, people still searched for the pokémon amongst the flowers.
Marley walked slowly but surely to the end of Route 224. She had been coming here since she was able to train pokémon. Ever since she heard about the flower pokémon, a pokémon able to express gratitude without needing words she wanted to meet it. She had always had problems expressing herself through words, so the idea of a pokémon who could express itself without them fascinated her.
Though she had never managed to find such a pokémon she kept coming here year after year. She liked it here, it was nice and peaceful. She couldn’t stand the noise of the city or the constant battles on most of the Routes. Here she could relax and be herself, no people forcing her into awkward conversations, no people badgering her for a battle and definitely no one screaming or yelling...
“Look ooooooouuuuut!” A voice behind her shouted. Marley turned around and caught a flash of yellow before feeling something colliding with her with full force. She fell over on to the hard ground on her butt. She winched in pain and looked up to see a young boy staring at her. He had blond hair in an unusual style, a green scarf, an orange and white striped jumper and black jeans.
“Oh jeez!” the boy said, looking very apologetic. “I’m sorry. You see I thought that since no one was here that I could train with no one bugging me so I ran here because I wanted to get to a good training spot I found last year which was beside that rock and I wanted to get there fast and I was going so fast that I couldn’t stop and then I saw you so I shouted “Look ooooooouuuuut!” but you didn’t get out of the way fast enough and I crashed into you but that’s not your fault because I was going too fast and did I say I was sorry?”
Marley stood up, took a deep breath and tried to take all of what he said in. She wondered why on earth a trainer would train when there was no one here. Everyone knows that the best way to train was against other trainers. He seemed harmless enough, and it would be rude of her not to apologise to him.
“...It’s alright,” She said quietly, “I’m fine, now if you’d excuse me...” and without another word she turned and headed for the white rock. She was never one for lengthy conversation, and she assumed the excitable boy would just carry on to his training area, which seemed to be on the opposite end of the Route to where she was going. She walked up the stairs to where the white rock was located
“So where’re you going?” Marley turned around to see that the boy was following her with an inquisitive look on his face.
“...to find a pokémon...” Marley said.
“Oh, what kind of pokémon is it?” The boy said, now sounding very excited, “Is it a fire type? Is it a grass type? Is it a flying type? Is it a fighting type? Is it some kind of special pokémon? Is it a legendary, I saw a legendary once, it was....”
The boy continued on and on. Marley stared at him and wondered how on earth someone could struggle to stay in one place. His feet seemed to keep moving rapidly even when he was going at a slow pace. It was almost like he couldn’t stand to slow down or he would stop going forever. For a person who liked to live life in the slow lane, Marley was fascinated by this person.
“A flower pokémon...” Marley said, “A pokémon of...gratitude...” The boy looked at her as if she had two heads, and then smiled.
“Sounds cool, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pokémon like that. I mean I’ve seen flower pokémon before, but never of...of...gratitude was it? Hey I just got a brilliant idea! I can help you look for him! I’ve got all these powerful pokémon that I used in the pokémon league! Two heads are better than one!”
Marley wondered why the boy had to talk so loudly. But he seemed harmless, and it might be nice to have company for once, even if that company was loud and very hyperactive.
“...okay” She said. The young boy jumped for joy and let out a loud “Yes!” that was so loud Marley had to cover her ears.
“Wo ho! I’m going to see a Gratitude pokémon...whatever that is!” The boy said. He then grabbed Marley’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Marley blushed at the sudden physical contact but the boy didn’t notice. “My name’s Barry! What’s yours?”
“M-Marley...” Marley said in a small voice.
“Alright!” Barry declared, pointing a finger to the sky. “Together Marley, you and I will find this pokémon! Even if it takes a hundred...no A THOUSAND YEARS! And we shall never give up and we will never...urgh this speech is taking too long, now is the time for action!”
Without any warning, Barry dragged Marley up the steps as fast as he could. Marley was astonished at this strange young boy. Usually she hated people who shouted, but there was something about this boy, his passion and his drive. He didn’t shout to get attention, he shouted because it was who he is. Eventually they made it to the top of the steps.
At the top there was a small grassy patch with no trees and only one or two flowers. At the very edge, almost pointing out to the sea was the white rock. Marley remembered agonising over the rock, trying to think of what she was most grateful for...but she always drew a blank. She was afraid that if she wrote the wrong thing she would seal off the gateway and she would never see the flower pokémon.
“Hey what’s with the weird rock?” Barry asked, pointing at the object. Marley looked at him for a few seconds, and then decided he was trustworthy enough to tell the legend to.
“It is said...that if you carve what you are most grateful on the rock,” She said, barely raising her voice above a whisper. “That the path to the flower pokémon will appear...”
She looked out over the surf, and wondered if she would ever get to see the elusive pokémon. She had seen people carve what they were most grateful for on that rock nearly a hundred times, and the path did not appear. She began to wonder if the legend of the flower pokémon was true. She sighed, for a few weeks she had been considering if she should just give up. She had decided that this would be her last trip to this place, and then she would just give up altogether and...
Suddenly she heard the sound of someone scraping something against a rock. She looked over at the white rock and saw Barry carving something on it. She was just about to tell him to stop when there was a bright flash of light. Marley closed her eyes and shielded her face. After a few seconds the light faded and Marley opened her eyes. She gasped because on the ocean there was a huge sea path. It stretched out for miles and was about four yards wide. What was really unusual about it was that it was covered in grass and flowers.
“Flowers...” Marley whispered. She looked over at Barry, who seemed to be on top of the world at his discovery. Yet again he jumped for joy and let out a loud shout of delight.
“AWESOME!” Barry shouted. “We’ll be able to find that grati...grate...uh...that pokémon in no time! C’mon, I’ll race ya to the end!” And as soon as he said that he climbed down the cliff sped off down the path with no regard for his own personal safety.
Marley could see no other choice than running after him. She took a deep breath and clambered down the cliff, only just barely missing a large jagged rock from badly scrapping her knee. She then ran as fast as she could down the path. She wasn’t very used to running so she didn’t go nearly as fast as Barry. But she could still see him speeding off into the distance.
As she ran, she thought about this strange young boy she had just met. Marley had never met anyone like him before; he seemed to hate staying in one place, or taking things slow. He seemed so...alive; it was like he wanted to live every second as if it was his last. She was fascinated by this young boy, and though he seemed to be just a hyperactive idiot, Marley could see something in his eyes...a sort of nobleness, a kindness in him. She smiled, she found herself feeling strangely happy thinking about him. Well, she always did like fast pokémon, so maybe she liked fast people two.
It was nightfall when she eventually caught up to him. He was lying collapsed on the ground, completely out of breath. She wasn’t faring very well either, her lungs felt like they were filled with broken glass, and every breath she took felt like fire in her body. She looked out over the orison and groaned. They still had many more miles to cover before they would get to the end. She collapsed on the ground beside Barry, and Barry looked over at her.
“Ha...ha...ha....hi” She said.
“Heh...guess I should have waited for you. Sorry about that.” He said, laughing sheepishly. He slowly got to his feet and breathed in and out. “I just wanted to get to the pokémon as fast as possible.”
“Do...do you run away like that all the time?” Marley asked. Getting to her feet and balancing herself.
“Yeah, ever since I was a little kid.” Barry said, “I love running, it makes me feel so free. And I hate being late for ANYTHING. I think that in life, you have to go fast, because there are so many things in this world that I want to see, and if I slow down I’m afraid I might miss them.”
Marley looked at him, wondering if he was sincere. It definitely looked like he was, and Marley found a newfound respect for him. He didn’t run to avoid life, like many people she met. He wanted to face life head on. As someone who always hung back and thought about what she had to do, she could admire this strange boy. Her thoughts were interrupted by her stomach growling. She blushed and held her hand to her stomach.
“Uh...s-sorry.” She said, avoiding Barry’s gaze.
Barry laughed and said “No need to apologise Marley. I think I have some lunch left in here.” He rooted around his bag and pulled out some rather flattened looking sandwiches. He handed them to Marley. “Here, eat up.”
“Don’t you want any...?” she asked Barry. Barry shook his head.
“I’m fine I...” But he was cut off by his stomach rumbling loudly.
“Here.” She tore open the plastic covering in which the sandwiches were kept and handed two of them over to Barry, who took them reluctantly. They both ate their sandwiches in silence. Marley one looked over at Barry, who was tearing into his food ravenously. She smiled privately to herself.
“So...what did you write?” Marley asked, Barry looked up at her, puzzled.
“Huh?” He said, his mouth stuffed with sandwich.
“On the rock...you wrote what you were most grateful for...what was it?” She asked.
Barry swallowed the food in his mouth and smiled. “Oh that’s easy. I wrote the name of my best friend in the whole world, Dawn. We’ve been friends ever since we were kids, we used to play together all the time. And we both went on our pokémon journey together. Without her, I don’t think I’d have ever gone on my pokémon journey. And it’s thanks to her that I managed to get so strong. We used to battle with each other on our journey, and she helped me make my pokémon strong, and we’ve been through so much together, but I always got through it, thanks to Dawn. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s so...”
As he talked, Marley noticed that he sounded a lot more enthusiastic than usual. Which was no mean feat considering how enthusiastic he usually was. She could tell that this person was very special to him, and hearing him babble on about her made her a little jealous. She had never had someone like that in her life, someone to...love she supposed was the right word. But one question was nagging her.
“Why aren’t you training with her now?” She asked. Barry’s face fell, and his expression turned dark. His cheery demeanour faded and he looked down.
“S-she changed...” He said his voice suddenly quiet, “She began seeing this woman...Cynthia. And she doesn’t want to talk about anything else but her...and every time I see her she’s with that woman. We never seem to spend any time together anymore. And now...now I barely see her anymore...I don’t know what to do. I know that she loves this woman even though she never told me. I mean...I guess...I guess I’m afraid that I’ll lose her. So I came here to...forget about all that.”
Barry sniffed and tried to keep the tears in. He wanted to forget all about Dawn, and Cynthia. He didn’t want to lose her, but he didn’t want her to be unhappy either. And Cynthia made her happy, so he had to be happy for her. But now he felt jealous of Cynthia, he wanted to be the one to make her happy, and what gave Cynthia the right to be the one for her? He felt alone, Dawn had been one of his very few friends, and all he had left was his pokémon. They had been the ones who had encouraged him to train and forget about her. If it hadn’t been for them he would have just stayed in his bedroom all day and cried.
Marley reached out to him and hesitated. She had never liked physical contact, it made her feel uneasy. But she felt that she had to do something for Barry, who was now holding his legs and trying not to cry. Very slowly she reached out and touched his shoulder. Barry looked up at her. She looked concerned, and he smiled. It was nice to know that there was another human being who liked him.
“I...it’s alright...” Marley whispered, “I’m sure...if you talked to her she’d understand.”
“Yeah...I suppose you’re right” Barry said, he gave her an unconvincing smile. “I guess I got a little carried away there huh?”
“N-no...” Marley said, holding his shoulder just a little tighter, “It’s natural to hate being...alone”
Marley thought about her own life. Besides her pokémon she had never had anyone to be her companion. She sometimes felt lonely, but her pokémon always cheered her up when she was feeling like that. But it was sometimes nice to talk to another human being, especially someone as...alive as Barry. She couldn’t help but admire his enthusiasm. She found herself...having unusual feelings for him.
She wanted to comfort him, throw her arms around him and tell him everything was okay. But she restrained herself. It was unlike anything she had felt before, some strange mix of admiration and the desire to keep him happy. Was it...was it love? She collected herself, it was silly, the idea that you could fall in love with someone this fast.
Barry too, was deep in thought. He wondered why she was being so kind to him when she had only met him a few hours ago. She must be a really kind person, he thought. He even considered that maybe she could be his friend. He felt like he needed a friend, a human one that is. She was very pretty too, Barry wasn’t usually very interested in girls (apart from Dawn), but there was something about Marley, with her sweet (though rather expressionless) face and her cute gothic outfit.
Barry couldn’t help but feel...attracted to her. He hadn’t felt this way about someone since...well since Dawn. But he knew that there was no way a girl like her, with her refinement and...stuff could ever be attracted to him. He was just a stupid kid, so there was no way she would even consider going out with him. He yawned and stretched, he felt really tired after all that running he did. He figured it was time for them both to hit the hay.
“Well, it’s getting late.” Barry said cheerily, trying to cover up his sadness. “I think it’s time we got to bed. Do you have a sleeping bag?” Marley looked down in shame.
“N-no,” She said, “I usually sleep in the pokémon centre outside of Victory Road, so I’ve never brought one...”
“No problem,” Barry said, he began searching in his bag for something. He then pulled out a small very stuffed looking sack. He opened it and pulled out a large sleeping bag. “You can use mine. I don’t mind sleeping rough. I find it bracing!” He thumped his chest and grinned, a small smile formed on Marley’s face.
“That’s very kind of you....but...”
“What?” Barry asked.
“I-it’s very big a-and....” Marley stammered. “It could fit both of us.” It was now Barry’s turn to blush.
“Well....I guess if you really want to...uh....o-okay” He said, his voice was now strangely halting, it was quite a change from his usual hundred mile an hour way of speaking.
They both reluctantly got into the sleeping bag. Marley gave it a quick sniff, and found that it smelled strongly of Barry. Both of them faced away from each other, so as to avoid any awkward moments. But still the feeling of Marley’s body against his awakened certain...feelings in him that were normal for a healthy young boy. He closed his eyes and tried to think about pokémon battles. He was so concerned with taming the thing in his pants that he didn’t notice that Marley was sniffing the sleeping bag. She didn’t know why, but she loved Barry’s scent.
They both woke up early the next morning. Very awkwardly they got out of the sleeping bag without touching each other. They were marginally successful. They both got up and brushed themselves off. Barry then packed away the sleeping bag and stuffed it back into his very unorganised bag. They then both looked off into the horizon. Barry groaned loudly and put his hands to his face.
“Darn it, we’re not even half way!” He shouted in frustration, “We’re probably gonna have to spend another two nights here!” He stamped his feet in anger, as he hated waiting to get anywhere.
“I don’t think that will be necessary. Go Arcanine!” Marley tossed a pokéball into the air and out of it leaped a huge dog like pokémon. It gave a loud bark and licked Marley affectionately.
“WOAH!” Barry shouted. “That’s a really strong looking pokémon! You must be a great trainer Marley!” Marley blushed lightly.
“Thank you,” Marley said, “We’ll use him to get to the end of the path. Arcanine, do you think you can take us all the way there?”
The dog pokémon gave a confident bark and Marley nodded. She climbed up on the pokémon’s back and held on tightly. Barry clambered up, rather clumsily and put his arms around Marley’s waist. Marley’s face tuned bright red, usually being touched made her feel uncomfortable, but Barry’s arms around her made her feel...nice. It was odd, Barry made her feel all these weird things, but it felt nice. She was so wrapped up in the feeling of Barry’s hands around her that she forgot to tell Arcanine to go.
“Uh Marley,” Barry asked, “Shouldn’t we get going now?” Marley snapped out of her trance.
“Um...y-yes..Arcanine, let’s go” As soon as she said that the dog pokémon sped off as fast as it could. It went so fast that the scenery around them became a blur. Both Marley and Barry hung on for dear life. Strangely enough the dog pokémon didn’t mind its fur being pulled by Marley, as it had weathered a lot worse in battle.
As he clung on to Marley, Barry found himself being strangely comforted by the feeling of Marley’s body against his. Barry heard Marley whimper as the dog like pokémon began picking up speed and he held her tighter. This was his new friend and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel scared. Marley gritted her teeth and held onto the pokémon tighter. She didn’t even notice Barry cuddling up to her.
After about half an hour of running, they made it to the end. At the very end of the pathway there was a huge meadow, absolutely covered in flowers. Neither Barry nor Marley had ever seen so many flowers in one place in their life. There was a small hill in the very centre of the meadow. Arcanine slowed down as they came closer to the end of the path. Eventually it stopped altogether in front of the meadow. Barry and Marley jumped down and Marley patted the pokémon.
“You did great,” She said, recalling Arcainine. She looked over at the hill and smiled. Son she would meet the pokémon who could express itself without words.
“Alright, just a few more steps,” Barry shouted. “Last one to the top of the hill is a Luvdisc!” He then ran as fast as he could through the flowers and up the hill. Marley smiled, and walked slowly up the hill.
When she got to the top, she saw that the flowers were even more abundant on the top of the hill. She looked around and saw Barry, who seemed to be searching for something. She wondered where the pokémon was. She walked to the centre of the hill. There was a flat white rock with some strange words carved on it. The pokémon wasn’t there, it was gone. All her life she had wanted to see the pokémon, and now that she was here...it wasn’t there. Marley felt like crying, but she couldn’t make the tears come. All she could feel was a white void of disappointment in her, a sucking hole she was unable to get rid of. Barry walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
“I-I’m sorry...” He said, “But I don’t think the pokémon is here...b-but if it makes you feel any better... I really liked being with you Marley. And even if I didn’t get to see the pokémon...well I’m glad that I at least got to meet you. You’re awesome Marley, and I’m glad I got to find a new friend. If it hadn’t been for you...I might have never have stopped thinking about losing Dawn. I don’t know...I feel sort of...safe around you, like I can tell you all kinds of private stuff and you won’t laugh at me. I-I like you Marley...and I hope you like me too.”
Marley felt the void slowly melt away, and be replaced by a feeling of happiness. If it hadn’t been for Barry, she would have never found this place. And though the pokémon wasn’t here, she was grateful to Barry for bringing her here and being her companion. She didn’t have any friends, so it was nice to make at least one. And she admired his impulsiveness, his willingness to take life by the throat. She wished she could tell Barry how she felt, but she couldn’t, she had never been very good with words.
Then, she noticed a collection of pink flowers on the side of the hill. She gestured to Barry to stay where he was and she went over and picked them. She hoped that this would be enough to show her feelings to him. She walked over to him with the flowers behind her back. She was blushing fiercely, and Barry had a very confused look on his face. She closed her eyes and offered the flowers to him.
“Are...are these for me?” Barry asked. Marley nodded, and her blush grew brighter. Barry took the flowers and blushed lightly. “Thank you...vey much...”
Marley was about to open her mouth to say something, anything that would show her newfound affection for him, when there was a bright flash of light. Both Barry and Marley closed their eyes. When they light faded, they opened their eyes, looked down and saw a little green and white pokémon covered in flowers sitting on the rock. Marley’s face light up, and Barry’s blush grew brighter when noticed how beautiful she looked when she smiled.
The pokémon let out a cute cry of “Shay!” Mayley picked it up and hugged it tightly. She looked over to Barry.
“Thank you...” She said, “For making it possible for me to see this pokémon.” When she held the pokémon, the words just came so easy. She didn’t feel any embarrassment or fear; this pokémon really did help you express gratitude.
Barry just stared at her for a few seconds, then he summoned up all of his courage. He took a deep breath, leaned forward and kissed her. Marley’s eyes went wide with shock as she felt Barry’s tongue clumsily dart in and out of her mouth. And to her surprise she found herself doing it to him as well. Both of them could almost feel the others affection for them, they didn’t need to say any words, the kiss said it all.
The kiss would have lasted longer, but there was a sudden flash of bright light from the pokémon. Barry and Marley opened their eyes in surprise and parted. The little pokémon was changing. When the light faded they both gasped. The pokémon was now bigger and more confident looking. It was now mostly white and its legs were much longer and at both sides of its head were what looked like wings.
“The flowers,” Marley whispered, pointing to the flowers Barry was holding. “The flowers changed it.”
The creature let out a cry of triumph. Its voice sounded deeper now, and far more confident and brave. It jumped out of Marley’s arms and landed feet first on the ground. It turned and looked over at Barry and Marley. It smiled and barked at them. Both the trainers could have sworn that they heard a “thank you” in its cry. It turned to face the sea path, and then it started to run. It ran as fast as it could down the path. And then, suddenly, it took off into the air. It soared higher and higher until it was out of sight. Both Barry and Marley watched this in awe.
“Wow...” Marley said.
“Y-yeah...” Barry said. Very slowly, he reached out and put his arm around her. Marley blushed and tried to say something, but the words just came out as gibberish. Eventually she decided that the best thing to do was to put her arm around him. It was now Barry’s turn to blush.
They both stood there for what might have been hours, but it only felt like seconds for them. These two lonely souls had finally found someone to care for. And here on this lonely rock they could be alone, free from the noise and bustle of the outside world to distract them. Of course someone had to break the silence soon. And naturally, it was Barry.
“S-so uh there’s..um there’s this place I like to go to after training.” He said. “It’s called the..the “resort area”...it’s a really cool place and there’s lots of stuff to do and I was wonder if you’d go...with me...on a...date. It’s fine if you don’t want to I was just asking and I’m sure you have a lot of stuff to do and maybe we’re moving too fast and if I take you there my dad might see us together and eventually my mom will want to see you and she’s really serious about this sort of thing and if you don’t want to get serious that’s fine with me ‘cause I like you a lot and if you want to take it slow I’d be okay with taking it slow too and...”
Marley put a finger to his lips to quieten him. “I’d love to,” She said, “Thank you.”
But this is not to say that this place still wasn’t of interest to people. A select few would come here to search for a very rare pokémon. It was said that this pokémon lived amongst the flowers on a secret area of the Route, which could only be accessed by inscribing a special message on the rock. Many had tried to find this secret place, but none prevailed. Despite the setbacks, people still searched for the pokémon amongst the flowers.
Marley walked slowly but surely to the end of Route 224. She had been coming here since she was able to train pokémon. Ever since she heard about the flower pokémon, a pokémon able to express gratitude without needing words she wanted to meet it. She had always had problems expressing herself through words, so the idea of a pokémon who could express itself without them fascinated her.
Though she had never managed to find such a pokémon she kept coming here year after year. She liked it here, it was nice and peaceful. She couldn’t stand the noise of the city or the constant battles on most of the Routes. Here she could relax and be herself, no people forcing her into awkward conversations, no people badgering her for a battle and definitely no one screaming or yelling...
“Look ooooooouuuuut!” A voice behind her shouted. Marley turned around and caught a flash of yellow before feeling something colliding with her with full force. She fell over on to the hard ground on her butt. She winched in pain and looked up to see a young boy staring at her. He had blond hair in an unusual style, a green scarf, an orange and white striped jumper and black jeans.
“Oh jeez!” the boy said, looking very apologetic. “I’m sorry. You see I thought that since no one was here that I could train with no one bugging me so I ran here because I wanted to get to a good training spot I found last year which was beside that rock and I wanted to get there fast and I was going so fast that I couldn’t stop and then I saw you so I shouted “Look ooooooouuuuut!” but you didn’t get out of the way fast enough and I crashed into you but that’s not your fault because I was going too fast and did I say I was sorry?”
Marley stood up, took a deep breath and tried to take all of what he said in. She wondered why on earth a trainer would train when there was no one here. Everyone knows that the best way to train was against other trainers. He seemed harmless enough, and it would be rude of her not to apologise to him.
“...It’s alright,” She said quietly, “I’m fine, now if you’d excuse me...” and without another word she turned and headed for the white rock. She was never one for lengthy conversation, and she assumed the excitable boy would just carry on to his training area, which seemed to be on the opposite end of the Route to where she was going. She walked up the stairs to where the white rock was located
“So where’re you going?” Marley turned around to see that the boy was following her with an inquisitive look on his face.
“...to find a pokémon...” Marley said.
“Oh, what kind of pokémon is it?” The boy said, now sounding very excited, “Is it a fire type? Is it a grass type? Is it a flying type? Is it a fighting type? Is it some kind of special pokémon? Is it a legendary, I saw a legendary once, it was....”
The boy continued on and on. Marley stared at him and wondered how on earth someone could struggle to stay in one place. His feet seemed to keep moving rapidly even when he was going at a slow pace. It was almost like he couldn’t stand to slow down or he would stop going forever. For a person who liked to live life in the slow lane, Marley was fascinated by this person.
“A flower pokémon...” Marley said, “A pokémon of...gratitude...” The boy looked at her as if she had two heads, and then smiled.
“Sounds cool, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pokémon like that. I mean I’ve seen flower pokémon before, but never of...of...gratitude was it? Hey I just got a brilliant idea! I can help you look for him! I’ve got all these powerful pokémon that I used in the pokémon league! Two heads are better than one!”
Marley wondered why the boy had to talk so loudly. But he seemed harmless, and it might be nice to have company for once, even if that company was loud and very hyperactive.
“...okay” She said. The young boy jumped for joy and let out a loud “Yes!” that was so loud Marley had to cover her ears.
“Wo ho! I’m going to see a Gratitude pokémon...whatever that is!” The boy said. He then grabbed Marley’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Marley blushed at the sudden physical contact but the boy didn’t notice. “My name’s Barry! What’s yours?”
“M-Marley...” Marley said in a small voice.
“Alright!” Barry declared, pointing a finger to the sky. “Together Marley, you and I will find this pokémon! Even if it takes a hundred...no A THOUSAND YEARS! And we shall never give up and we will never...urgh this speech is taking too long, now is the time for action!”
Without any warning, Barry dragged Marley up the steps as fast as he could. Marley was astonished at this strange young boy. Usually she hated people who shouted, but there was something about this boy, his passion and his drive. He didn’t shout to get attention, he shouted because it was who he is. Eventually they made it to the top of the steps.
At the top there was a small grassy patch with no trees and only one or two flowers. At the very edge, almost pointing out to the sea was the white rock. Marley remembered agonising over the rock, trying to think of what she was most grateful for...but she always drew a blank. She was afraid that if she wrote the wrong thing she would seal off the gateway and she would never see the flower pokémon.
“Hey what’s with the weird rock?” Barry asked, pointing at the object. Marley looked at him for a few seconds, and then decided he was trustworthy enough to tell the legend to.
“It is said...that if you carve what you are most grateful on the rock,” She said, barely raising her voice above a whisper. “That the path to the flower pokémon will appear...”
She looked out over the surf, and wondered if she would ever get to see the elusive pokémon. She had seen people carve what they were most grateful for on that rock nearly a hundred times, and the path did not appear. She began to wonder if the legend of the flower pokémon was true. She sighed, for a few weeks she had been considering if she should just give up. She had decided that this would be her last trip to this place, and then she would just give up altogether and...
Suddenly she heard the sound of someone scraping something against a rock. She looked over at the white rock and saw Barry carving something on it. She was just about to tell him to stop when there was a bright flash of light. Marley closed her eyes and shielded her face. After a few seconds the light faded and Marley opened her eyes. She gasped because on the ocean there was a huge sea path. It stretched out for miles and was about four yards wide. What was really unusual about it was that it was covered in grass and flowers.
“Flowers...” Marley whispered. She looked over at Barry, who seemed to be on top of the world at his discovery. Yet again he jumped for joy and let out a loud shout of delight.
“AWESOME!” Barry shouted. “We’ll be able to find that grati...grate...uh...that pokémon in no time! C’mon, I’ll race ya to the end!” And as soon as he said that he climbed down the cliff sped off down the path with no regard for his own personal safety.
Marley could see no other choice than running after him. She took a deep breath and clambered down the cliff, only just barely missing a large jagged rock from badly scrapping her knee. She then ran as fast as she could down the path. She wasn’t very used to running so she didn’t go nearly as fast as Barry. But she could still see him speeding off into the distance.
As she ran, she thought about this strange young boy she had just met. Marley had never met anyone like him before; he seemed to hate staying in one place, or taking things slow. He seemed so...alive; it was like he wanted to live every second as if it was his last. She was fascinated by this young boy, and though he seemed to be just a hyperactive idiot, Marley could see something in his eyes...a sort of nobleness, a kindness in him. She smiled, she found herself feeling strangely happy thinking about him. Well, she always did like fast pokémon, so maybe she liked fast people two.
It was nightfall when she eventually caught up to him. He was lying collapsed on the ground, completely out of breath. She wasn’t faring very well either, her lungs felt like they were filled with broken glass, and every breath she took felt like fire in her body. She looked out over the orison and groaned. They still had many more miles to cover before they would get to the end. She collapsed on the ground beside Barry, and Barry looked over at her.
“Ha...ha...ha....hi” She said.
“Heh...guess I should have waited for you. Sorry about that.” He said, laughing sheepishly. He slowly got to his feet and breathed in and out. “I just wanted to get to the pokémon as fast as possible.”
“Do...do you run away like that all the time?” Marley asked. Getting to her feet and balancing herself.
“Yeah, ever since I was a little kid.” Barry said, “I love running, it makes me feel so free. And I hate being late for ANYTHING. I think that in life, you have to go fast, because there are so many things in this world that I want to see, and if I slow down I’m afraid I might miss them.”
Marley looked at him, wondering if he was sincere. It definitely looked like he was, and Marley found a newfound respect for him. He didn’t run to avoid life, like many people she met. He wanted to face life head on. As someone who always hung back and thought about what she had to do, she could admire this strange boy. Her thoughts were interrupted by her stomach growling. She blushed and held her hand to her stomach.
“Uh...s-sorry.” She said, avoiding Barry’s gaze.
Barry laughed and said “No need to apologise Marley. I think I have some lunch left in here.” He rooted around his bag and pulled out some rather flattened looking sandwiches. He handed them to Marley. “Here, eat up.”
“Don’t you want any...?” she asked Barry. Barry shook his head.
“I’m fine I...” But he was cut off by his stomach rumbling loudly.
“Here.” She tore open the plastic covering in which the sandwiches were kept and handed two of them over to Barry, who took them reluctantly. They both ate their sandwiches in silence. Marley one looked over at Barry, who was tearing into his food ravenously. She smiled privately to herself.
“So...what did you write?” Marley asked, Barry looked up at her, puzzled.
“Huh?” He said, his mouth stuffed with sandwich.
“On the rock...you wrote what you were most grateful for...what was it?” She asked.
Barry swallowed the food in his mouth and smiled. “Oh that’s easy. I wrote the name of my best friend in the whole world, Dawn. We’ve been friends ever since we were kids, we used to play together all the time. And we both went on our pokémon journey together. Without her, I don’t think I’d have ever gone on my pokémon journey. And it’s thanks to her that I managed to get so strong. We used to battle with each other on our journey, and she helped me make my pokémon strong, and we’ve been through so much together, but I always got through it, thanks to Dawn. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s so...”
As he talked, Marley noticed that he sounded a lot more enthusiastic than usual. Which was no mean feat considering how enthusiastic he usually was. She could tell that this person was very special to him, and hearing him babble on about her made her a little jealous. She had never had someone like that in her life, someone to...love she supposed was the right word. But one question was nagging her.
“Why aren’t you training with her now?” She asked. Barry’s face fell, and his expression turned dark. His cheery demeanour faded and he looked down.
“S-she changed...” He said his voice suddenly quiet, “She began seeing this woman...Cynthia. And she doesn’t want to talk about anything else but her...and every time I see her she’s with that woman. We never seem to spend any time together anymore. And now...now I barely see her anymore...I don’t know what to do. I know that she loves this woman even though she never told me. I mean...I guess...I guess I’m afraid that I’ll lose her. So I came here to...forget about all that.”
Barry sniffed and tried to keep the tears in. He wanted to forget all about Dawn, and Cynthia. He didn’t want to lose her, but he didn’t want her to be unhappy either. And Cynthia made her happy, so he had to be happy for her. But now he felt jealous of Cynthia, he wanted to be the one to make her happy, and what gave Cynthia the right to be the one for her? He felt alone, Dawn had been one of his very few friends, and all he had left was his pokémon. They had been the ones who had encouraged him to train and forget about her. If it hadn’t been for them he would have just stayed in his bedroom all day and cried.
Marley reached out to him and hesitated. She had never liked physical contact, it made her feel uneasy. But she felt that she had to do something for Barry, who was now holding his legs and trying not to cry. Very slowly she reached out and touched his shoulder. Barry looked up at her. She looked concerned, and he smiled. It was nice to know that there was another human being who liked him.
“I...it’s alright...” Marley whispered, “I’m sure...if you talked to her she’d understand.”
“Yeah...I suppose you’re right” Barry said, he gave her an unconvincing smile. “I guess I got a little carried away there huh?”
“N-no...” Marley said, holding his shoulder just a little tighter, “It’s natural to hate being...alone”
Marley thought about her own life. Besides her pokémon she had never had anyone to be her companion. She sometimes felt lonely, but her pokémon always cheered her up when she was feeling like that. But it was sometimes nice to talk to another human being, especially someone as...alive as Barry. She couldn’t help but admire his enthusiasm. She found herself...having unusual feelings for him.
She wanted to comfort him, throw her arms around him and tell him everything was okay. But she restrained herself. It was unlike anything she had felt before, some strange mix of admiration and the desire to keep him happy. Was it...was it love? She collected herself, it was silly, the idea that you could fall in love with someone this fast.
Barry too, was deep in thought. He wondered why she was being so kind to him when she had only met him a few hours ago. She must be a really kind person, he thought. He even considered that maybe she could be his friend. He felt like he needed a friend, a human one that is. She was very pretty too, Barry wasn’t usually very interested in girls (apart from Dawn), but there was something about Marley, with her sweet (though rather expressionless) face and her cute gothic outfit.
Barry couldn’t help but feel...attracted to her. He hadn’t felt this way about someone since...well since Dawn. But he knew that there was no way a girl like her, with her refinement and...stuff could ever be attracted to him. He was just a stupid kid, so there was no way she would even consider going out with him. He yawned and stretched, he felt really tired after all that running he did. He figured it was time for them both to hit the hay.
“Well, it’s getting late.” Barry said cheerily, trying to cover up his sadness. “I think it’s time we got to bed. Do you have a sleeping bag?” Marley looked down in shame.
“N-no,” She said, “I usually sleep in the pokémon centre outside of Victory Road, so I’ve never brought one...”
“No problem,” Barry said, he began searching in his bag for something. He then pulled out a small very stuffed looking sack. He opened it and pulled out a large sleeping bag. “You can use mine. I don’t mind sleeping rough. I find it bracing!” He thumped his chest and grinned, a small smile formed on Marley’s face.
“That’s very kind of you....but...”
“What?” Barry asked.
“I-it’s very big a-and....” Marley stammered. “It could fit both of us.” It was now Barry’s turn to blush.
“Well....I guess if you really want to...uh....o-okay” He said, his voice was now strangely halting, it was quite a change from his usual hundred mile an hour way of speaking.
They both reluctantly got into the sleeping bag. Marley gave it a quick sniff, and found that it smelled strongly of Barry. Both of them faced away from each other, so as to avoid any awkward moments. But still the feeling of Marley’s body against his awakened certain...feelings in him that were normal for a healthy young boy. He closed his eyes and tried to think about pokémon battles. He was so concerned with taming the thing in his pants that he didn’t notice that Marley was sniffing the sleeping bag. She didn’t know why, but she loved Barry’s scent.
They both woke up early the next morning. Very awkwardly they got out of the sleeping bag without touching each other. They were marginally successful. They both got up and brushed themselves off. Barry then packed away the sleeping bag and stuffed it back into his very unorganised bag. They then both looked off into the horizon. Barry groaned loudly and put his hands to his face.
“Darn it, we’re not even half way!” He shouted in frustration, “We’re probably gonna have to spend another two nights here!” He stamped his feet in anger, as he hated waiting to get anywhere.
“I don’t think that will be necessary. Go Arcanine!” Marley tossed a pokéball into the air and out of it leaped a huge dog like pokémon. It gave a loud bark and licked Marley affectionately.
“WOAH!” Barry shouted. “That’s a really strong looking pokémon! You must be a great trainer Marley!” Marley blushed lightly.
“Thank you,” Marley said, “We’ll use him to get to the end of the path. Arcanine, do you think you can take us all the way there?”
The dog pokémon gave a confident bark and Marley nodded. She climbed up on the pokémon’s back and held on tightly. Barry clambered up, rather clumsily and put his arms around Marley’s waist. Marley’s face tuned bright red, usually being touched made her feel uncomfortable, but Barry’s arms around her made her feel...nice. It was odd, Barry made her feel all these weird things, but it felt nice. She was so wrapped up in the feeling of Barry’s hands around her that she forgot to tell Arcanine to go.
“Uh Marley,” Barry asked, “Shouldn’t we get going now?” Marley snapped out of her trance.
“Um...y-yes..Arcanine, let’s go” As soon as she said that the dog pokémon sped off as fast as it could. It went so fast that the scenery around them became a blur. Both Marley and Barry hung on for dear life. Strangely enough the dog pokémon didn’t mind its fur being pulled by Marley, as it had weathered a lot worse in battle.
As he clung on to Marley, Barry found himself being strangely comforted by the feeling of Marley’s body against his. Barry heard Marley whimper as the dog like pokémon began picking up speed and he held her tighter. This was his new friend and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel scared. Marley gritted her teeth and held onto the pokémon tighter. She didn’t even notice Barry cuddling up to her.
After about half an hour of running, they made it to the end. At the very end of the pathway there was a huge meadow, absolutely covered in flowers. Neither Barry nor Marley had ever seen so many flowers in one place in their life. There was a small hill in the very centre of the meadow. Arcanine slowed down as they came closer to the end of the path. Eventually it stopped altogether in front of the meadow. Barry and Marley jumped down and Marley patted the pokémon.
“You did great,” She said, recalling Arcainine. She looked over at the hill and smiled. Son she would meet the pokémon who could express itself without words.
“Alright, just a few more steps,” Barry shouted. “Last one to the top of the hill is a Luvdisc!” He then ran as fast as he could through the flowers and up the hill. Marley smiled, and walked slowly up the hill.
When she got to the top, she saw that the flowers were even more abundant on the top of the hill. She looked around and saw Barry, who seemed to be searching for something. She wondered where the pokémon was. She walked to the centre of the hill. There was a flat white rock with some strange words carved on it. The pokémon wasn’t there, it was gone. All her life she had wanted to see the pokémon, and now that she was here...it wasn’t there. Marley felt like crying, but she couldn’t make the tears come. All she could feel was a white void of disappointment in her, a sucking hole she was unable to get rid of. Barry walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
“I-I’m sorry...” He said, “But I don’t think the pokémon is here...b-but if it makes you feel any better... I really liked being with you Marley. And even if I didn’t get to see the pokémon...well I’m glad that I at least got to meet you. You’re awesome Marley, and I’m glad I got to find a new friend. If it hadn’t been for you...I might have never have stopped thinking about losing Dawn. I don’t know...I feel sort of...safe around you, like I can tell you all kinds of private stuff and you won’t laugh at me. I-I like you Marley...and I hope you like me too.”
Marley felt the void slowly melt away, and be replaced by a feeling of happiness. If it hadn’t been for Barry, she would have never found this place. And though the pokémon wasn’t here, she was grateful to Barry for bringing her here and being her companion. She didn’t have any friends, so it was nice to make at least one. And she admired his impulsiveness, his willingness to take life by the throat. She wished she could tell Barry how she felt, but she couldn’t, she had never been very good with words.
Then, she noticed a collection of pink flowers on the side of the hill. She gestured to Barry to stay where he was and she went over and picked them. She hoped that this would be enough to show her feelings to him. She walked over to him with the flowers behind her back. She was blushing fiercely, and Barry had a very confused look on his face. She closed her eyes and offered the flowers to him.
“Are...are these for me?” Barry asked. Marley nodded, and her blush grew brighter. Barry took the flowers and blushed lightly. “Thank you...vey much...”
Marley was about to open her mouth to say something, anything that would show her newfound affection for him, when there was a bright flash of light. Both Barry and Marley closed their eyes. When they light faded, they opened their eyes, looked down and saw a little green and white pokémon covered in flowers sitting on the rock. Marley’s face light up, and Barry’s blush grew brighter when noticed how beautiful she looked when she smiled.
The pokémon let out a cute cry of “Shay!” Mayley picked it up and hugged it tightly. She looked over to Barry.
“Thank you...” She said, “For making it possible for me to see this pokémon.” When she held the pokémon, the words just came so easy. She didn’t feel any embarrassment or fear; this pokémon really did help you express gratitude.
Barry just stared at her for a few seconds, then he summoned up all of his courage. He took a deep breath, leaned forward and kissed her. Marley’s eyes went wide with shock as she felt Barry’s tongue clumsily dart in and out of her mouth. And to her surprise she found herself doing it to him as well. Both of them could almost feel the others affection for them, they didn’t need to say any words, the kiss said it all.
The kiss would have lasted longer, but there was a sudden flash of bright light from the pokémon. Barry and Marley opened their eyes in surprise and parted. The little pokémon was changing. When the light faded they both gasped. The pokémon was now bigger and more confident looking. It was now mostly white and its legs were much longer and at both sides of its head were what looked like wings.
“The flowers,” Marley whispered, pointing to the flowers Barry was holding. “The flowers changed it.”
The creature let out a cry of triumph. Its voice sounded deeper now, and far more confident and brave. It jumped out of Marley’s arms and landed feet first on the ground. It turned and looked over at Barry and Marley. It smiled and barked at them. Both the trainers could have sworn that they heard a “thank you” in its cry. It turned to face the sea path, and then it started to run. It ran as fast as it could down the path. And then, suddenly, it took off into the air. It soared higher and higher until it was out of sight. Both Barry and Marley watched this in awe.
“Wow...” Marley said.
“Y-yeah...” Barry said. Very slowly, he reached out and put his arm around her. Marley blushed and tried to say something, but the words just came out as gibberish. Eventually she decided that the best thing to do was to put her arm around him. It was now Barry’s turn to blush.
They both stood there for what might have been hours, but it only felt like seconds for them. These two lonely souls had finally found someone to care for. And here on this lonely rock they could be alone, free from the noise and bustle of the outside world to distract them. Of course someone had to break the silence soon. And naturally, it was Barry.
“S-so uh there’s..um there’s this place I like to go to after training.” He said. “It’s called the..the “resort area”...it’s a really cool place and there’s lots of stuff to do and I was wonder if you’d go...with me...on a...date. It’s fine if you don’t want to I was just asking and I’m sure you have a lot of stuff to do and maybe we’re moving too fast and if I take you there my dad might see us together and eventually my mom will want to see you and she’s really serious about this sort of thing and if you don’t want to get serious that’s fine with me ‘cause I like you a lot and if you want to take it slow I’d be okay with taking it slow too and...”
Marley put a finger to his lips to quieten him. “I’d love to,” She said, “Thank you.”